My Music City Custom Snare Verdict

You know what a cool look would be? When you get it, take everything off the shell, then light it on fire for a few seconds. It’ll have this nice burned-in look to it. I think Josh Freese did this to an entire DW kit once when he played with Devo.
And after torturing the drum with pyrotechnics, I can hurl it off a cliff, allowing it to languish for a week before retrieving it. If I'm lucky, a tornado will strike in the interval. I might as well make the shell look as battle-tested as possible.
 
CM, not for nothing, my gigging kit is a Studio Session Select, the Antique Crimson Burst paired with the 6.5 x 14 Studio Session Select snare in the Natural Birch...I love that snare, throaty, kinda fat but with a nice crack...enjoy your new snare!!
Session Studio Select snares receive very little attention, but they're superb instruments in every way. I just sold my Natural Birch shell, but I'm keeping my Barnwood Brown model as a backup option. It sounds great in every context in which I've used it.
 
and, one other item I think is stealthy good about that kit is the fact that it comes with one of those Pearl kick drum pillow...
Definitely. It stays in place (Velcro), is visually unobtrusive, and has a gentle muffling effect without smothering tone. Mine never leaves my bass drum.
 
Ah yes, my good man has tastes!
 
If you look closely, you can see the half-Assed snorted lines of coke on the table.
*edit*
You’re welcome brother 🙂
Definitely. It stays in place (Velcro), is visually unobtrusive, and has a gentle muffling effect without smothering tone. Mine never leaves my bass drum.
Lol, mine never made it inside the bass and is left the plastic wrap.
CM, not for nothing, my gigging kit is a Studio Session Select, the Antique Crimson Burst paired with the 6.5 x 14 Studio Session Select snare in the Natural Birch...I love that snare, throaty, kinda fat but with a nice crack...enjoy your new snare!!
Yep I had to get the matching 6.5” snare (black halo glitter) for my kit and I love it’s sound.

A year ago, I kept seeing the Session Select free floater shells, even in my kits color - now I’m still looking.
 
Here you go, folks -- the ceremonial (and emotional) unboxing of my Pearl Music City Custom USA Solid Shell Walnut (14"x5"). The pics were taken on my wife's phone. While they fall short of @cbphoto's lofty graphic standards, they'll get the point across for now.

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Expect performance reviews to emerge in the days that follow. Tonight, I'll remove the factory-installed Coated Ambassador and replace it with a Coated Powerstroke 3. Though I've been using a Hazy Diplomat Snare Side as of late, I'll probably keep the Hazy Ambassador Snare Side on this one for a while and see how it sounds. I have a new Diplomat Snare Side on hand should I decide to make the switch.

Fun fact: Pearl refers to this drum's finish as "Nashville Natural." That's about as badass as it gets in my book.
 
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Here you go, folks -- the ceremonial (and emotional) unboxing of my Pearl Music City Custom Solid Shell 14"x5" snare drum in walnut. These were taken on my wife's phone. While they fall short of @cbphoto's lofty graphic standards, they'll get the point across for now.

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Expect performance reviews to emerge in the days that follow. Tonight, I'll remove the factory-installed Coated Ambassador and replace it with a Coated Powerstroke 3. Though I've been using a Hazy Diplomat Snare Side as of late, I'll probably keep the Ambassador Hazy Snare Side on this one for a while and see how it performs. I have a new Diplomat Snare Side on hand should I decide to make the switch.

Trivia fun: Pearl refers to this drum's finish as "Nashville Natural." That's about as badass as it gets in my book.
Looks beautiful!! Can't wait to hear how it sounds. 😊
 
I like the shot of the bottom of the drum. I'd be looking to put a clear batter head on it so I could always see the inside.
I'm devoted to coated snare batters, but I do understand your motive. It's almost a crime to disguise this shell's interior.
 
Here you go, folks -- the ceremonial (and emotional) unboxing of my Pearl Music City Custom Solid Shell 14"x5" snare drum in walnut. These were taken on my wife's phone. While they fall short of @cbphoto's lofty graphic standards, they'll get the point across for now.

View attachment 106243

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Expect performance reviews to emerge in the days that follow. Tonight, I'll remove the factory-installed Coated Ambassador and replace it with a Coated Powerstroke 3. Though I've been using a Hazy Diplomat Snare Side as of late, I'll probably keep the Hazy Ambassador Snare Side on this one for a while and see how it sounds. I have a new Diplomat Snare Side on hand should I decide to make the switch.

Trivia fun: Pearl refers to this drum's finish as "Nashville Natural." That's about as badass as it gets in my book.
Have you laid a stick to it yet? Any first impressions on the sound? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
I like the shot of the bottom of the drum. I'd be looking to put a clear batter head on it so I could always see the inside.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to a tour of the interior when I change the batter head tonight.
I cant stop looking at it. The rings against the shell, the black fasteners with the special washers, even the Remo logo looks mirrored even though it isnt. It's quite the looker.
 
Good. Arrived safe and sound. It looks amazing. The inside is absolutely spectacular.

(eating virtual popcorn waiting for the really interesting part of the thread, CM's take on it)

What if he doesn't like it? What if he isn't as pleased as he thought he was? Would he have the balls to admit it? What if he wants to try the maple?

What if this is the greatest thing ever? What if he likes his Pearl Session Studio Select snare better? What if....

It should be epic

I'm staying tuned

Also, from the inside, it looks like the lugs have 2 screws each. But from the outside, it looks like the lugs are too small for 2 screws.

What's up wit dat?
 
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Have you laid a stick to it yet? Any first impressions on the sound? Inquiring minds want to know.
I gave it a quick rudimental run, mostly to test its right-out-of-the-box characteristics. They tuned it medium at the factory, though I can tell that the snare-side head is a little looser than my usual tension. I haven't taken a key to it yet. I'll give it a thorough tune-up when I change the batter head tonight.
 
Drums should be shipped with the heads loose IMO. Because if the drum had to go on a plane, the air up there is like minus 65 degrees F. The contractions that could occur...I wouldn't want a tight head on it for transport
 
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